SubscribeFebruary 2012
Sky balloons all over Harper, Maryland County (2)
2/15/12 •
When the lights go out we play. We had so much fun getting the sky balloons airborne, squealing with delight as they soared above and away from Tubman Hall, over the Academic Complex higher and higher, past the Administration Building, becoming a vanishing speck of light in the sky.We were having so much fun that [...]
Working in a live environment (2)
2/12/12 •
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Russell, TU’s president, called a meeting of all faculty and staff. We met in the gallery of the Academic Complex. If you are standing at the double doors, looking out of the building you can see Tubman Hall, the residences, across the field. Still looking outward there is a huge plum (mango) tree [...]
Celebrating my 60th birthday in Tubman Hall, Harper, Maryland County (12)
2/08/12 •
I’ve been thinking about a super special celebration for this sixth decade of life. I wanted it to be special. And it is. I started the year in a new country. I’m on the African continent for an extended period. I’m being stretched in a fascinating way on this work assignment. For the first time [...]
The Harper-Pleebo road (6)
2/05/12 •
Yesterday’s destination was Pleebo. It was the journey rather than the destination that shaped the memories, however. Emmanuel Dioh, a student in the College of Engineering and Technology and son of Dr. Anthony Dioh, Dean of Student Affairs is one of the few individuals with a privately owned working car. So in exchange for gas [...]
Trippin’ in Harper, Maryland County (10)
2/03/12 •
I’ve had my first meltdown. It lasted two days. Happiness and relief that my apartment in Philadelphia was finally rented quickly dissolved into frustration and anger. The simple process of opening the attached lease from the realtor, signing it, scanning it in, creating a pdf file, and then returning it as an email attachment wasn’t [...]
January 2012
Weekend activities in Harper, Maryland County, Liberia (3)
1/29/12 •
No taxis here. If you want to go into town, and you don’t want to plan your day around the every hour or so university bus, then your options are walk the two miles of dusty partially paved road or take a motor bike. Several faculty members own bikes, readily offering rides to colleagues. From [...]
My first week in Harper (2)
1/27/12 •
Being able to walk to work has been a long standing wish of mine. This week I’ve lived it, and am enjoying it. Not only am I walking to work, but I’m going home for lunch daily. A cooked lunch, all organic and no prepackaged ingredients, and that’s because I’m living on the campus of Tubman University. [...]
So long Monrovia, hello Harper (3)
1/24/12 •
Wear a skirt. Bring toilet paper. Don’t have a lot in your stomach. Wrap your luggage in a large trash bag. The words of advice kept coming. In a nutshell they all referred to sanitary conditions along the journey as well as the dust we would be engulfed in. All the plants along the side [...]
Harper, Maryland County, Liberia still eludes me (2)
1/19/12 •
Iris’ words came back in a flash. “Go and enjoy the experience. Do good work. Just know that the things you shipped will not get there for a long time.” She then told me about what her mother went through moving back to Montserrat from New York City. The shipper picked up furniture and personal [...]
Getting mobile internet access in Monrovia (2)
1/17/12 •
An avid reader never misses an opportunity to visit a book store, but today’s trip to the Longman Liberia bookstore on Camp Johnson Road to learn about books by Liberian authors, had to be postponed. Getting to EcoBank and Lone Star took priority. I anticipated long waits at each place. My per diem was paid [...]
Inauguration Day for President-Elect Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (8)
1/17/12 •
Along the 35 miles of Tubman Boulevard between the Roberts International Airport and Monrovia’s City Hall there were only United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) vehicles and Liberia National Police (LNP) on motorcycles escorting local and international dignitaries to the Inaugural Ceremony. Unable to take a taxi into town I decided to walk the mile [...]
Inauguration Weekend, Monrovia (0)
1/16/12 •
There is a bevy of activity as Monday, January 16, 2012 approaches. Public buildings are being cleaned. Sidewalks are being swept and washed. Rumors of possible demonstrations are being counteracted by the increased presence of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). Helicopters are circling the city. Up and down Tubman Boulevard convoys of tanks [...]
Attempting to go solo in Monrovia (8)
1/13/12 •
Today was the day to take the taxi all by myself from our offices in Sinkor to the Lone Star headquarters in Congo Town. I was told it was a 30 minute ride and the fare would be LD$25.00, approximately US$0.35. I positioned myself near the edge of the group standing at Tubman Boulevard and [...]
All roads lead to Monrovia (2)
1/12/12 •
Hanging out in Starbucks has never been as interesting as hanging out in Bash restaurant. So many people here are working on projects reflecting international collaborations. I’m also connecting with several people from the East Coast corridor of the USA. Who knew that all roads lead to Monrovia? Alfred Fofie was not talking to me [...]
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia (1)
1/11/12 •
On Sunday, July 29, 1990 about 3 a.m. in the morning more than 900 Liberians taking refuge in the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and parsonage were massacred. It was a few months into the civil war, and then leader Samuel Doe was fighting Charles Taylor, a former member of his regime. Charles Taylor’s father was [...]
Still in Monrovia (5)
1/10/12 •
Being able to live in uncertainty is an admirable trait. In Liberia, I’m learning that if that quality is not innate, it will be learned in a flash. I am still in Monrovia. We did not get on the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) flight. UNMIL has stationed in several locations across Liberia. Helicopters [...]
Seeking authentic Liberian food (8)
1/08/12 •
Sitting in Dona Maria, a Lebanese-owned Italian restaurant, eating a Greek salad and listening to a Liberian band performing country music while the TV beamed the Iraq-Jordan football match is the ultimate international experience. I had to remind myself that the day began with a quest for authentic Liberian food. Dr. Ade (short for Dr. [...]
A Friday in Monrovia (3)
1/07/12 •
Malaria tablet, extension cords and adapter plugs are now included in my daily essentials. From my room on the second floor (even though it’s numbered 109) I go to the Bash restaurant for the buffet breakfast and conversations with any of the many expats, visitors or local residents eating and accessing the free internet. Today [...]
Preparing for Harper, Maryland County, Liberia (10)
1/05/12 •
Preparing for Harper I’ll be taking the 24-48 hour road trip to Harper. Several members of the staff spent the holidays in Monrovia and most of them are heading back on Friday. There will be a Tubman caravan of vehicles snaking their way to Harper. I will be with three colleagues whom I’ve not yet [...]
Dealing with jet lag in Monrovia, Liberia (0)
1/04/12 •
Monrovia is five hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. When its midnight here family and friends on the East Coast of the USA are just coming in from work and making dinner at 7:00p.m. My body has not yet fully adjusted to the time change. Sleep is uneven and sporadic. When I initially seek sleep [...]
